Senator Snowe, LL Bean Heir Join Effort to Help the Ailing Lobster Industry

[1]

United States Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) has joined an effort to help the Maine lobster industry, which is suffering from the combined business burdens of high gas prices and a reduced demand for lobster.

According to Forbes.com, Senator Snowe is encouraging the [2]Small Business Administration, the Department of Commerce and the Department of Agriculture to work with the lobster industry to find a creative fix to the sluggish demand for lobster. [2]

Linda Bean Jones, granddaughter of Maine LLBean retail legend Leon Bean, has added her name and backing to a new initiative to process Maine lobster in state. Her Linda Bean's Perfect Maine will ship lobster products and potentially add a national chain of lobster roll eateries, [3] according to a Maine website, VillageSoup.

In the meantime, the lobster cooperative Catch A Piece of Maine continues to educate consumers about the lobster industry while bringing new lobster-driven products to market. Their latest endeavor is an underwater video of a lobster as it enters a trap and dines on the floor of the Atlantic. [4] Although the video to the right does not show a female lobster that is later released, other videos on the CatchAPieceofMaine.com do just that. [5]